New Cloud Type and Honeycomb Clouds

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


Why would I want to know all that when I can just turn on the tv for the weather which is wrong most of the time? Also never seen hexagons on weather forcasts however I have seen a cloud that looked like a sheep pile in.

Originally posted by jazz10
reply to post by speculativeoptimist

 

Why would I want to know all that when I can just turn on the tv for the weather which is wrong most of the time? Also never seen hexagons on weather forcasts however I have seen a cloud that looked like a sheep pile in.

If you dont know why you want to know about this type of cloud, then why would you even bother posting on thsi thread?

Its pretty much an education thread, and the OP is simply sharing one of the more uncommon meteorological phenomena, perhaps to alert some to the fact that this cloud is now a recognised type by the WMO

reply to post by speculativeoptimist

I've spent a great deal of time (some may say an inordinate amount) looking at clouds and satellite images of them.

As a hang glider pilot they tell me a lot. How high can I get today? How far can I fly? Which direction should I go? Should I forget about flying and just do yard work?

[edit on 8/22/2010 by Phage]

Originally posted by OzWeatherman
reply to post by jazz10

 

As Phage mentioned, these clouds have been seen for a few decades now. They are not a new phenomena, they have just been recently classified as a sub genre of cloud. They have not "just" started appearing.

They are a completely natural phenomena btw

I'm so glad phage straightened it out. That they have been appearing for a few decades now. That they're not new, but only a few decades since first appearing. They are rare, as phage tells us, and that no one had a camera until recently, so few images exist.

And now you pick up the tail and tell us they are not man made, btw. Yes, thanks for straightening that out, but did you hear this directly from phage?

[edit on 22-8-2010 by davidmann]

reply to post by Phage


Hang gliding huh? Well I am a bit envious, because that sounds like a blast. Definitely a bucket list endeavor for me.
thanks,
spec

Originally posted by davidmann
And now you pick up the tail and tell us they are not man made, btw. Yes, thanks for straightening that out, but did you hear this directly from phage?

As I mentioned before, and Phage also will back me up on this, I look at clouds for a living. I was just supporting what Phage said because usually people come on here and criticise him for whatever reason.

Just wanted to reiterate the most interesting part of these articles to me.

Such open-cell marine clouds "communicate" with each other so that they constantly oscillate, or rearrange themselves, in a synchronized pattern, according to a new study from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
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The "communicating" cloud system is an example of self-organization in nature, the seemingly purposeful formation of structure without outside intervention from humans. The process is also seen in crystal growth, planet formation, and insect swarms.
In addition, this is the first time researchers have shown that open-cell clouds follow the principles of self-organizing systems-they spontaneously form dynamic, coherent structures that tend to repair themselves and resist change.
Such clouds join other self-organizing networks such as flocks of birds, shifting sand dunes or bubbles in boiling water.

These features give clouds more of a living organism quality. Communication, self organization and synchronization are all involved in cloud formation over the ocean. This is very cool! And I thought they were just random formations of water droplets.
So this article taught me something new about clouds, which only increases my admiration and appreciation for them.

spec

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


That IS interesting!

After a bit of thought, it does make sense (even if not noticed/intuited before) since the clouds have mass.

Amorphous blobs, interacting according to the constantly shifting vagaries of nature --- winds, temperatures, and air flow gradients...their MASS, and just their existence, has to matter in these interactions.

The article mentions analogy to crystal growth, too...again, slightly different (on a molecular level), but still dependent on environment, and interactions with IT, and with other parts of the formation.

Side note: -- This might make the recognition of sentient life forms on other planets a bit dodgy, since so many "seemingly intentionally organized" patterns are able to appear in Nature.

Hopefully, we will be more cognizant, and better equipped to deal, in the future should this opportunity to explore in person, and observe ET life occur.

reply to post by weedwhacker


Agreed weedwhacker

I am going to speculate further here in an inquisitive fashion. As I posted earlier regarding any relationship to cymatics; Knowing that the Earth does indeed vibrate and water is a super conducer for vibration, and I would imagine there are variances, so could those vibrations contribute at all to any effect on cloud formation? Thoughts?

spec

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


?? Dunno, not familiar enough.

First blush, though...best guess is the influences of the atmosphere are going to be far more prevalent, and have greater effects.

Still...one has to keep in mind that there are many frequencies of sound, and light (EM spectrum) that we Humans cannot perceive with our unaided senses....

...but, a REALLY big effect? Seems that would get a lot of attention.

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


Wow, those are really cool clouds. I seen clouds like that when I was a kid and thought it was one of the neatest things I saw. I wish clouds like that were more common.

reply to post by Chopper

Glad ya dug em' Chopper! I see them in a different light after reading these articles about their behavior. I googled cloud pics and spent an hour checking some out.

When your blue
all you have to do
is look to the sky
and watch the clouds pass by

spec

nevermind

[edit on 25-8-2010 by speculativeoptimist]